The Rockstar Checklist

By Cari Cole

Being a rockstar and having a music career in music is one of the most fulfilling and exciting lifestyles imaginable. But it’s not only reserved for those at the top.

You can master your own rockstar world with this quick and easy checklist I give all of my students. Rock on!

1. Master Your Instrument/s(voice – and piano, guitar etc.)
2. Impress yourself as if you were trying to impress your boss. Being a Rockstar is a job – treat it like one.
3. Surround yourself with people better than you.
4. Never think for a second that you can’t do it.
5. Everything everybody says to you is advice- not gospel.
6. Learn from the music you listen to and then take it one step further – rather than copy it.
7. Never, never, ever burn bridges- There’s absolutely no reason to be vindictive or look down on anyone in the business – because hopefully you will have a long career and everyone’s working hard just like you.
8. Make sure your whole camp is on board with your music and direction – There are plenty of people out there looking for great artists.
9. Dress the part, act the part, live the part- because you are 24/7 marketing yourself – and there’s a lot of competition out there.
10. It’s never about YOU – it’s always about THEM. Be interested in people – don’t blabber on about yourself. People do business with people they like.
11. Despite popular opinion, those in the music industry that drink and do drugs are not nearly as respected as those that don’t.

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Aspiring Music Talent Needs the Right Music Promotion and the Correct A&R Contacts

By Gene Schwerman

There are new and very ambitious music promotion companies available now to aspiring music talent nationally. Music talent looking for A&R contacts and music industry connections can find companies in the business of scouting music talent for Record Labels, Music Publishers and TV & Movie Music Supervisors. Music promotion daily gravitates further away from tradition creating ever closer ties to the internet and especially internet marketing!

Many times the groups with the most music talent are discovered in due course and get the recognition they deserve in a fairly straightforward manner, other groups do not. Many need some kind of representation, preferably fairly aggressive, to help with music promotion, with the right A&R connections, if they wish to be “discovered” for their music talent.

The most successful of these music promotion companies use the internet for much of their music promotion. Taking advantage of the internet allows these companies to rapidly disseminate information about the musicians, speed communications for getting them gigs, provide samples of their work, and so on. Read more »